Abstract: A method for the phytoremediation treatment of a contaminated medium with at least one element selected from the group consisting of (preferably water soluble and volatile) organic pollutants, heavy metals, radionuclides or a mixture thereof, comprising the step of cultivating upon said contaminated medium a plant associated with an endophytic microorganism able to improve the phytoremediation of said plant, to reduce phytotoxicity of chemicals, and the step of recovering the elements present in said plant.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for analyzing the organismic complexity of a sample through analysis of the nucleic acid in the sample. In the disclosed method, through a series of steps, including digestion with a type II restriction enzyme, ligation of capture adapters and linkers and digestion with a type IIS restriction enzyme, genome signature tags are produced. The sequences of a statistically significant number of the signature tags are determined and the sequences are used to identify and quantify the organisms in the sample. Various embodiments of the invention described herein include methods for using single point genome signature tags to analyze the related families present in a sample, methods for analyzing sequences associated with hyper- and hypo-methylated CpG islands, methods for visualizing organismic complexity change in a sampling location over time and methods for generating the genome signature tag profile of a sample of fragmented DNA.

Abstract: Genomic Signature Tags (GSTs) are the products of a method for identifying and quantitatively analyzing genomic DNAs. The DNA is initially fragmented with a type II restriction enzyme. An oligonucleotide adapter containing a recognition site for MmeI, a type IIS restriction enzyme, is then used to release 21 bp tags from fixed positions in the DNA relative to the sites recognized by the fragmenting enzyme. These tags are PCR-amplified, purified, concatenated into longer molecules, and then cloned and sequenced. The tag sequences and abundances are used to create a GST profile that can identify and quantify the genome of origin within any complex DNA isolate. The total number of GSTs generated from a sample is determined by the incidence of recognition sites for the initial fragmenting enzyme.

Abstract: A recombinant nucleic acid sequence comprising an SOS regulated promoter with an induction ratio higher than 40, said promoter being operatively linked to a reporter encoding nucleic acid sequence encoding a reporter resulting in a signal that can be assayed as light production. A biosensor comprising such a nucleic acid sequence and methods for determining genotoxicity and the presence of multiple genotoxic compounds using such a biosensor are disclosed.

Abstract: A method for the phytoremediation treatment of a contaminated medium with at least one element selected from the group consisting of (preferably water soluble and volatile) organic pollutants, heavy metals, radionuclides or a mixture thereof, comprising the step of cultivating upon said contaminated medium a plant associated with an endophytic microorganism able to improve the phytoremediation of said plant, to reduce phytotoxicity of chemicals, and the step of recovering the elements present in said plant.

Abstract: A recombinant nucleic acid sequence comprising an SOS regulated promoter with an induction ratio higher than 40, said promoter being operatively linked to a reporter encoding nucleic acid sequence encoding a reporter resulting in a signal that can be assayed as light production. A biosensor compromising such a nucleic acid sequence and methods for determining genotoxicity and the presence of multiple genotoxic compounds using such a biosensor are disclosed.

Abstract: A recombinant nucleic acid sequence comprising an SOS regulated promoter with an induction ratio higher than 40, said promoter being operatively linked to a reporter encoding nucleic acid sequence encoding a reporter resulting in a signal that can be assayed as light production. A biosensor comprising such a nucleic acid sequence and methods for determining genotoxicity and the presence of multiple genotoxic compounds using such a biosensor are disclosed.

Abstract: This invention concerns a diagnostic system made of: a transformed microorganism capable of an increased reporter activity upon exposure to an environmental insult, said microorganism having a stress inducible promoter sequence being operatively linked to a reported encoding nucleic acid sequence encoding a reporter molecule resulting in a signal that can be assayed, and of a transformed microorganism having a constitutive and non stress inducible promoter sequence being operatively linked to a reporter encoding nucleic acid sequence encoding a reporter molecule resulting in a signal that can be assayed.